This Old Fashioned Sour Cream Pound Cake has a beautiful golden sugary crust and is fluffy yet dense inside. And the vanilla and almond flavor combo is to die for!
One of our favorite treats to make for holidays is today’s old fashioned sour cream pound cake. Once you have this cake you will also want our vanilla bean pound cake, pistachio pound cake, and cranberry orange pound cake!
Our Favorite Sour Cream Pound Cake
This is a family recipe from my husband’s side, and it’s one that I absolutely LOVE!
My mother-in-law makes this pound cake all of the time… and for good reason! It’s got a beautiful golden sugary crust and is fluffy yet dense inside. Plus the vanilla and almond flavor combo is to die for!
And if you are curious why it’s called a pound cake (because I always thought it was a funny name for a cake!) it’s because it used to be made with a pound of flour, a pound of sugar, a pound of eggs and a pound of butter!! No wonder I LOVE this cake so much. 😉
How to Make Sour Cream Pound Cake
Follow the recipe card to achieve this amazing pound cake but make sure to note the following key steps:
- Begin by spraying your bundt pan (or two loaf pans, if you don’t have a bundt pan) with cooking spray and then coat it with about 1 tbsp of granulated sugar! This step is optional but I love the texture it adds and it helps the cake not stick to the pan!
- Add each egg yolk, one at a time and mix after each one
- Alternate adding dry ingredients and sour cream while continually mixing on low
- Gently fold in your egg whites (should be stiff peaks)
- Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan
Recipe Tips:
- Have your ingredients be at room temperature
- Take your time to really cream the butter and sugar so that there’s a good, light, and fluffy texture.
- Sour cream adds extra moistness and some extra fat to make the cake creamier.
- If you don’t own a large bundt pan, you can split the batter between loaf pans or use a smaller decorative bunt along with a loaf pan. Just adjust the baking time accordingly.
Pound Cake Toppings
We usually eat it plain, but this time I decided to do something a little extra- serve it up with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and fresh berries. It’s got that whole red, white and blue thing going on which is perfectly patriotic 🙂
But you could also do a simple glaze! A simple glaze can be made with powdered sugar, lemon juice, and milk. Then pour it over the cooled cake. Other ides include:
- more berries
- whipped cream
- lemon curd
- chopped peaches
- sliced bananas and toasted coconut
Variations + Storing
Of course, if you want to do something different you can swap out the almond extract for lemon and a bit of zest, then dust the final product with powdered sugar and top it all with strawberries. Mmm.
Some other fun variations include chocolate pound cake, brown sugar pound cake, lemon-blueberry pound cake and so many more that you can find here.
No matter what type of extract you use, it’s going to be moist, flavorful and delicious!
How to Store Pound Cake? It is best to store your pound cake in an airtight container for up to three days.
You can keep it in your refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap and foil for up to a week!
Or you can wrap it in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer-safe bag and freeze it for up to 6 months.
When you are ready to have it again, Thaw your pound cake on the counter without unwrapping for the best results!
Don’t wait to bake this lovely pound cake! I promise it’ll be love at first bite! Enjoy & happy baking.
Find more delicious desserts here:
- Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
- Raspberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
- Classic Angel Food Cake
Print RecipeOld Fashioned Sour Cream Pound Cake Recipe
Nothing beats the rich, buttery flavor of this old fashioned sour cream pound cake! It's delicious on its own or topped with ice cream, whipped cream and fresh berries!Pin RateServings: 14 servingsCalories: 440kcalIngredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter - (2 sticks), room temperature
- 3 cup granulated sugar
- 6 eggs - divided
- 2 tsp vanilla - or vanilla bean paste
- 1/2 tsp almond extract
- 3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup sour cream - full-fat
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spray and sugar (I use about 1 tbsp of granulated sugar, however this is optional) a large bundt pan set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla and almond extract, then add the egg yolks one at a time, mixing after each addition.
- In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, salt and baking soda, then with mixing speed on low alternate adding the dry ingredients and sour cream.
- In a medium mixing bowl whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold in the egg whites using a large spatula. Pour into the prepared pan and place in the oven to bake for 1 hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before inverting onto a cake stand or plate. If you skipped the granulated sugar in the pan, you can dust the top of the cooled cake with powdered sugar.
Notes
-If you don't own a large classic bundt pan, you can divide the batter between 2 (9x5) loaf pans and bake them for approximately 45-55 minutes.Nutrition
Serving: 14g | Calories: 440kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 190mg | Potassium: 82mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 609IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 2mg
Hello. What is the use of the sugar after buttering the pan?
It’s for added texture- it also helps the cake release really easily. It’s optional, you can just spray or butter/flour the pan really well too.
To assist the release of cake from pan. You grease the cake pan and then sprinkle the pan with the sugar and and gently tap the pan to spread the sugar in pan. Pour off excess sugar. (instead of sprinkling with flour which can leave a white residue on the cake)
Yummy!!
Thanks Shawnna!
Are you supposed to whip the egg whites before folding them in, or are you just folding in liquid egg whites? You don’t say to whip the whites, but I’ve never heard of folding in liquid egg whites.
Ahh yes! I don’t know how I skipped that… the recipe should be correct now, thanks for catching that!
I make same pound cake without b.soda …what would be the difference??? Also , if to be kind what is the name of your pan???? Nordic??? thanks so much
It helps it rise a bit, I’ve never made it without. And I have the Nordic Ware Anniversary Gold Pan from Williams-Sonoma.
Does this freeze well?
Yes 🙂
Hello
May I use the eggs without separating the whites from the yolks? Does the separation of the yolks from the whites result in a fluffier, lighter pound cake?
My regular pound cake recipe is very similar except the eggs aren’t separated. By whipping the egg whites the final cake comes out really light.
I made this today, very easy and soooo good! My only issue was the bake time. I had it in the oven for an hour at 300 and it was still underdone. I cranked up the temperature to 350 and it finished baking in a few minutes. Maybe 10? I didn’t time the last few minutes of baking, just checked it a couple times. It still came out light, and high (in relation to the pan).
I love baking for my family and I wanted to try this recipe, I generally do lemon pound cake.I will admit simple recipes I like but this recipe imo had to many steps. I did omit the almond extract dislike almonds and the 3/4 tsp of salt threw me but figured it out. Really who has 3/4 tsp? Beating of the egg whites and then folding not stirring was much. I did not use bundt pan but a tube pan However the end result is tasty delicious.light moist pound cake with a semi crunchy top and that may be due to using the tube pan. I like the pound cake just not the recipe. The recipe turns out a delicious pound cake. The 300 temp is way off, I baked the pound cake at 350 for 45 minutes, I did check the pound cake off throughout the baking process just to make sure it did not overcook. 4 stars due to the separate steps and the 300 temp. It is a great recipe and the end result is a delish pound cake
Followed the recipe to a T with the exception of the baking temperature. I baked at 325 for 1 hour 20 minutes and this cake is truly delectable! I found the process to be quite simple and made sense with folding the beaten egg whites into the batter. Had all the ingredients on hand, which is a big plus. I drizzled it with a white glaze only because we love a little “frosting”. Sprayed the pan with bakers spray which has a little flour in it but also used the sugar as suggested. The sugar gives it a nice light crust to compliment the delicious cake inside. It slipped right out of the pan and I was thrilled! This is a keeper! 5 *****
I tried this cake recipe and found it to be delicious just delicious
Thank you Renee!
Could you help convert to grams and mls instead of cups please.
I am a professional baker for over 25 years. This is a really good recipe for a simple, but delicious and moist pound cake. I agree with some of the other comments regarding the temp. I baked it at 325 degrees for one hour and it came out flawless! I will be baking again with various flavors!
Can you substitute lemon extract for the almond extract? I have a family member with a nut allergy and wanted to make this cake (it’s delicious!) but change it to lemon pound cake. Would I need to do anything else different?
Yes! I’d suggest adding the zest of a lemon or two as well!
Can you used this recipe for mini bundts cakes? If so, what be the proper baking time?
I haven’t tried this recipe as minis before (I’m sure it will work just fine) I just can’t really give you specific times. What size mini bunts are you using?
It would be helpful when writing recipes, to add conversion of cups to grams and mls. Cups don’t really measure accurately.
I made this for my LifeGroup, i reduced the sugar to 2 2/3 and no almond extract, it came our great! Thank you.
I made this cake for my niece. The hour in a 300 degree oven wasn’t working for me so I increased the heat to 325 for another 20 min. Worked out fine. Great cake.
I am glad you liked it! I hope your niece did too! Thank you for sharing that!
I can not wait to make this for our family get together! They’re going to love it!
I love this recipe. Have made it twice now, it’s amazing.
Super easy recipe to follow and absolutely delicious. Will definitely be making this again soon.
I followed all directions and I still had to bake 30 minutes more. Must be the elevation difference here in NM. But I am happy with the results! Cake is great!!!
That very well could have played a roll. I am glad you liked it! Thank you!
I made this last night and it was fantastic! I halved the recipe and made it in a loaf pan because we have a small family. Because of the low temp it took a really long time to cook, but it was worth it because it was so moist and crisp on the top.
Glad you gave it a try & liked it! Thank you!
Is it one stick (1/2 cup butter) or 1 cup butter (2 sticks)? Your recipe says 1 cup (1 stick, but one stick is 1/2 cup).
Sorry about that, I will get it fixed..it is 1 cup, so 2 sticks 🙂
There does not seem to be enough raising agent…only 1/4 teaspoon og baking soda? Did I miss something?